Cat sanitary container enclosure



April 16, 1963 Filed Dec. 16, 1960 L. K. CRAWFORD CAT SANITARY CONTAINER ENCLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY W MM A T T019027 April 16, 1963 K. CRAWFORD CAT SANITARY CONTAINER ENCLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1960 3,085,550 CAT SANITARY CONTALIER ENCLQSURE Lois K. Crawford, R0. Box 29, Port Angeles, Wash. Filed Dec. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 76,360 3 Claims. (Cl. 119-4) This invention relates to an enclosure for a sanitary container to be used by cats in the house.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an enclosure for a sanitary container which will be neat in appearance and which will conceal the sanitary container without impairing the accessibility of the container to cats. The enclosure will be attractive to cats and can be ornamented, or decorated.

A further object is to provide such an enclosure which is light and can be moved easily but which will prevent a person from stepping into, or overturning, the sanitary container, yet the enclosure itself can not readily be overturned.

It is also an object to provide an enclosure for such a sanitary container which Will be of ample size, which will conceal the sanitary container, and yet which will be relatively unobtrusive.

A further object is to provide an installation of a sanitary container in an enclosure of a construction such that the litter or sand will be retained in the container, and can not readily be kicked out of the container into the housing or into the room in which the housing is located. Nevertheless, such container can be removed easily from the enclosure for replacement. of the litter or sand, and for cleaning.

it is also an object to provide such a sanitary container and enclosure which is made of inexpensive material and construction, but which is durable and serviceable.

Another object is to prevent the sanitary container from being displaced, or removed, from the enclosure inadvertently even when the enclosure is moved from one place to another in a room.

The foregoing objects can be accomplished by providing an enclosure in the form of a rectangular box having a closed top and bottom, and three upright side walls, the fourth upright side being open. In this box is housed a sanitary container in the form of a tray which is shallow, as compared to the height of the box, such box being of a height several times as great as the depth of the tray, such as five or six times as great. A retaining lip projects from the inner side of the Wall opposite the open side of the box, extending horizontally and spaced from the bottom of the box a distance such as to accommodate below and behind it one side of the tray. The opposite side of the tray adjacent to the open side of the box has an inwardly extending flange.

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective of the enclosure housing the sanitary container.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section through the enclosure at a location above the sanitary container taken on line 22 of FIGURE 3, and FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through the enclosure and sanitary container taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2..

FIGURE 4 is a top perspective of the sanitary container removed from the enclosure.

Exposed and uncovered sanitary containers in a house for use by cats are unsightly and annoying. They are aesthetically obnoxious and constitute a nuisance because sand or litter from them is inclined to be scattered on the floor by a cat, and are even dangerous because if one should step on the rim the person could be caused to fall, or at least the sand or litter would be spilled to a greater or lesser extent. By housing the sanitary container in an enclosure, it can be concealed both during use and when not in use and is protected from being stepped in,

3,h35,55 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 tipped over, or spilled, even by a person walking in the dark.

The preferred type of enclosure 1, as shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 3, is of rectangular box shape having a closed top 2, a closed bottom 3, and upright walls 4, 5 and 6 closing three of the upright sides. The fourth upright side is open over its full extent. While such a box, or housing, can be made in various sizes, it should be constructed of ample capacity such as having a height of 24", a Width of 14", and a length of 18". A housing with these dimensions would provide a full side opening 18" in length and 24" in heightf It is preferred that the open upright side be open over its entire length and height so that a sanitary container in the form of a tray 7 which-is of a length and width nearly equal to the length and widthof the housing so as to fit closely in it, can be inserted through the open side. Having such side open throughout its entire height also provides easier and more attractive access to the container for cat. The container or tray may be about 4" in depth, one-sixth of the height of the housing 1.

By making the tray 7 of a width and length nearly equal to the width and length of the container so as to fit snugly within it, there is much less tendency for litter or sand to be kicked by a cat from the tray into the space between the Walls of the tray and the walls of the housing because the width of such space is small and the litter or sand would tend to rebound from the inner surfaces of the walls back into the tray. A flange 8 which may be about 2" in width projecting inwardly from the side wall of the tray adjacent to the open side of the housing 1 will deter sand or litter from being kicked out of the tray into the room by a cat.

It is preferred that the housing 1 and tray'i be made of light material such as sheet steel, or aluminum, or plastic, so that it can be moved about,- carried and handled easily. When the housing is moved while the tray is in place within it, it is undesirable, however, for the tray to be able to slide out of the housing. Consequently, interengaging means are provided for retaining the tray in the housing against inadvertent displacement. Such interengaging or retaining means is illustrated as a strip 9 extending horizontally across the length of the enclosure, and having its upper edge portion secured to the inner surface of the wall 5 opposite the open side of the enclosure at a height above the bottom 3 slightly greater than the depth of the tray 7.

The lower edge portion 10 of the strip 9 is ofiset inwardly from the upper edge portion to form a groove between such lower edge portion and the wall 5 of a width slightly greater than the thickness of a side of the tray 7. Also, the ends of this strip will stop short of the Walls 4 and 6 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the trays end walls. When the tray is in place in the housing as shown in full lines in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the upper edge of the tray wall remote from the flange 8 is received behind the lower edge portion 10 of the strip so that such edge portion constitutes a lip overlapping the upper portion of such tray side. This lip prevents inadvertent outward movement of the tray and prevents the tray from being intentionally removed by being pulled straight out of the housing. Also, any sand which may be kicked by a cat from the tray 7 against the wall 5 and which slides down the wall, will be deflected by the lip 10 back into the tray instead of falling between the enclosure wall and the side of the tray adjacent to it.

While the lip 10 retains the tray 7 in the housing against inadvertent displacement, the tray can be removed easily from the container by tilting upward the edge of the tray adjacent to the open side of the housing, as indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 3, until the upper edge of the tray side adjacent to the enclosure wall 5 has been depressed sufficiently to pass under the lip 10. The tray and housing may be tilted relatively by tilting the tray up and the housing toward its open side simultaneously. The tray may then be drawn outward so that its contents can be replaced and the tray cleaned. Conversely, the tray can easily be inserted again into the housing by tilting it into the attitude shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3, and sliding it rearward until the upper edge portion of its side adjacent to the lip passes beneath the lip. The tray may then be swung downward in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 3 into the solid line position, in which position the tray is locked by the lip. If desired, the enclosure 1 can be tilted toward its open side somewhat during such manipulation of the tray so that the tray can be held more nearly horizontal.

The flange 8 not only constitutes a barrier to sand or litter being kicked from the tray out into the room, but it serves to stiffen greatly the side of the tray which is grasped when it is being inserted into, or removed from, the enclosure so that the tray will be stable even though it is made of comparatively light and flimsy sheet material and may contain a substantial weight of sand.

After the tray 7 has been assembled in the housing 1 in the manner described so that the upper portion of the tray wall opposite flange 8 has been received behind the overlapping lip 10, the enclosure may be lifted and placed in a room with its open side adjacent to a wall of the room and spaced from such wall six or eight inches. When the housing is in this position the sanitary container 7, as well as the open side of the enclosure, are concealed completely from view by a person in the room. The space between the enclosure and the wall will be ample, however, for a cat to walk between the enclosure and wall and enter the housing through the open side. By making the width of the housing perpendicular to the plane of the open side less than the length of the housing parallel to the open side, the enclosure will project into the room less than it otherwise would, yet will be of adequate size so that a cat will enter the housing without hesitancy even though its open side is facing an adjacent wall of the room.

The enclosure is sufiiciently high, not only to provide an interior of ample size, but will be high enough so that a person cannot inadvertently step on it when walking through the room, and the sanitary container within the housing will thus be protected from being stepped in, or stepped upon, or from being kicked sufficiently to cause sand or litter to be spilled from it, or to be tipped over. If the housing should be kicked the retaining lip 10 of the strip 9 will retain the tray securely in place in the housing.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cat sanitary container and an enclosure therefor comprising a housing having closed top, a closed bottom and side walls connecting said top and said bottom, one upright side of said housing being open, a lip carried by and projecting inward from the wall opposite such open side of said housing and spaced upward from said housing bottom, and a tray received in the bottom portion of said housing and having an upstanding side with its upper portion engaged between said lip and said opposite wall preventing inadvertent movement of said tray toward the open side of said housing, and said upstanding side being of a height such as to be lowered below said lip by tilting of said tray effected by raising the side opposite said lip to release said tray for removal from said housing through such open side.

2. The cat sanitary container and enclosure defined in claim 1, in which the open upright side of the housing is open above the corresponding side of the tray to a height several times as great as the height of said corresponding tray side.

3. The cat sanitary container and enclosure defined in claim 1, and a flange on the upper portion of the tray side corresponding to the open upright side of the housing, which flange projects inwardly from such tray side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,416 Kramer June 11, 1940 2,728,496 Sego Dec. 27, 1955 2,741,223 Winborn Apr. 10, 1956 

1. A CAT SANITARY CONTAINER AND AN ENCLOSURE THEREFOR COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING CLOSED TOP, A CLOSED BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS CONNECTING SAID TOP AND SAID BOTTOM, ONE UPRIGHT SIDE OF SAID HOUSING BEING OPEN, A LIP CARRIED BY AND PROJECTING INWARD FROM THE WALL OPPOSITE SUCH OPEN SIDE OF SAID HOUSING AND SPACED UPWARD FROM SAID HOUSING BOTTOM, AND A TRAY RECEIVED IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN UPSTANDING SIDE WITH ITS UPPER PORTION ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID LIP AND SAID OPPOSITE WALL PREVENTING INADVERTENT MOVEMENT OF SAID TRAY TOWARD THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID HOUSING, AND SAID UPSTANDING SIDE BEING OF A HEIGHT SUCH AS TO BE LOWERED BELOW SAID LIP BY TILTING OF SAID TRAY EFFECTED BY RAISING THE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID LIP TO RELEASE SAID TRAY FOR REMOVAL FROM SAID HOUSING THROUGH SUCH OPEN SIDE. 